Bringing health and wellness to the workplace
波士顿大学康奈尔护理学院与当地一家非营利社会服务机构建立了联系, a partnership that has garnered the attention—and support—of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of the founder of Amazon.
Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) is focused on improving the social, cultural, economic, and civic lives of immigrants and their families. Among many other programs, QARI有一个创新和非常成功的劳动力发展倡议，为移民提供就业途径，并为拥有大量移民劳动力的组织提供服务. 在疾病控制和预防中心500万美元的资助下, 康奈尔学院副教授、斯特拉科什家族电子游戏正规平台员谭赫. Nguyen正在与QARI合作，电子游戏正规平台马萨诸塞州和纽约市亚裔美国人的糖尿病预防和管理, 他的愿景是将该项目扩展到全国范围内服务不足的移民人口密集的社区.
目的是预防或延迟糖尿病前期成人2型糖尿病的发病，并改善自我保健实践, quality of care, and early detection of complications among people with diabetes, according to Nguyen. 她正在实施两个循证项目:糖尿病预防, 哪一种已经被证明可以将糖尿病前期患者的糖尿病发病率降低60%, and Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support, which has been shown to reduce hemoglobin A1C, diabetes-related complications, and increase overall quality of life.
“But, (这些项目)在亚裔和少数族裔社区的实施中遭遇了巨大失败, for a number of reasons, such as a lack of linguistic and cultural adaptation, and a lack of trust and relationship building,” said Nguyen.
康奈尔大学护理学院副教授谭阮(右)参加了由美国国立卫生电子游戏正规平台院主持的圆桌会议.S. 参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦(中)参观完昆西的金曼食品后. (Photo provided)
“与QARI合作的好处在于，他们扎根于社区，与人有很强的信任感和联系,” she continued. QARI将移民直接与工作场所的健康和保健项目联系起来.
“新移民的首要任务是获得餐桌上的食物, paying rent, finding a safe place to live,” said QARI COO Emily Canner. “It's not necessarily thinking about health and wellness, 然而，这些都是可以产生长期和重大影响的事情. 通过在现场提供服务，我们使早期干预变得非常容易. If you're really strapped for time, 你不会特意去其他地方寻求这些服务. 我们想让我们的工作尽可能简单.”
“为了让人们做好糖尿病的预防和管理, they first have to have their social needs adequately met,” explained Nguyen. “QARI在社区中解决健康的社会决定因素. 他们提供这些全面的社会服务——劳动力发展, ESOL and citizenship classes, 将人们与新鲜的水果和蔬菜以及心理健康服务联系起来——这不仅对移民成为社会的贡献成员非常重要, but to have health over the lifespan.”
“我要感谢BC大学和谭教授把健康和健康放在首位,” said QARI President and CEO Philip Chong, who himself is an immigrant from Hong Kong. “我们与谭教授和乔斯林糖尿病中心的合作是我们的秘诀.”
“与Philip, Emily和Quincy Asian Resources, Inc .合作是我的荣幸.,” added Nguyen. “能够与一些最脆弱的人一起工作，并将健康融入工作场所的倡议中，这是一件非常愉快的事情.
“在未来几年，我可以看到这个领域出现越来越多的创新，”她继续说道. “The CDC grant is focused on Asian communities, 但我认为我们可以将糖尿病预防和糖尿病自我管理项目扩展到其他面向少数族裔移民的社区.”
In addition to the CDC, QARI得到了卡明斯基金会(Cummings Foundation)的财政支持，麦肯齐·斯科特(Mackenzie Scott)通过Yield Giving和Lever for Change捐赠了100万美元. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren helped secure more than $620,000 in congressional funding for QARI’s workforce initiative. In June, Warren paid a visit to Kam Man Food, 昆西的一家亚洲超市雇佣了许多通过QARI的劳动力发展计划来的移民.
Following the tour of the market, 沃伦主持了一场关于移民问题的圆桌讨论，阮也参加了讨论, Chong, Kam Man Food General Manager
Wan Wu, State Rep. Tackey Chan, State Sen. John Keenan, and Christopher
贝斯以色列执事医院的高级支持服务主任摩尔说
Hospital-Plymouth, one of QARI’s employer partners.
阮和钟强调了健康和保健项目的重要性
embedded in the workplace. During the roundtable, Nguyen emphasized that
diabetes prevention and management doesn't happen in isolation. These behavior change programs fall apart at the individual level, she noted, 没有社会服务机构的支持.
阮还主张将糖尿病预防项目纳入医疗补助报销的预防服务. 她说，包括马萨诸塞州在内的大多数州都没有报销这笔费用. “In order for things like this to help the people of Massachusetts, particularly the most vulnerable people, they have to be financially sustainable,” said Nguyen.
她还要求当地官员思考如何让建筑环境更容易让人们从事更健康的行为, from walking, biking, 更容易买到新鲜水果和蔬菜，也更容易去杂货店, 转变为过去几年许多亚洲人所缺少的安全感和社区归属感.
Nguyen和QARI团队说，QARI的创新和合作可以作为一个模式，可以在该州和全国其他地方复制.
“We see a lot of scalability and potential in this,” said Canner.
“This is a great initiative and collaboration,” said Chong. “We should bring
this model to all Jesuit schools across the nation. Like the Jesuits, we believe in helping others. We are training immigrants and giving back to the community. 鉴于我国移民的情况，我认为这是一个很好的模式.”